Larry Bird wants to keep Lance Stephenson in Indiana next season

The Indiana Pacers had the best record in the Eastern Conference this season. Despite having some court advantage against the Miami Heat, they still managed to lose to the defending champions in the Eastern Conference Finals for the second year in a row. Lance Stephenson of the Pacers was pulling antics that stirred up a lot of controversy.

He was getting plenty of attention mostly because he his actions were pointed towards LeBron James. However, when he blew into James’ ear, team president Larry Bird was not amused by Stephenson’s behavior. When asked if he was angered by the ear blowing via text message, a simple response is what the Hall of Fame legend from French Lick Indiana gave.

Despite Stephenson’s behavior, Bird wants to keep him around next season. He strongly believes you cannot let talent just walk away like that. He believes Stephenson has all the upside in the world. Bird insists it is all up to the young player if he wants to be as good as he is capable of being.

"I think his ceiling is what he wants it to be. I always want him back. You just don't let talent like that walk away if you can help it," said Bird, reports CBS Sports.